There's a very good chance the Yough-Greensburg Salem game at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow will be looked back upon at the end of the season as the one that decided the WPIAL Class AAA Keystone Conference championship.

And there's a good chance it will be a high-scoring affair.

"I hope so," Yough coach Jim Wehner said. "That will make it exciting. I'll take any type of game as long as we win. I just hope we can score enough on them."

Since conference play began Sept. 12, Yough (3-2 overall, 3-0 in the conference) has scored 110 points in three games (36.7 points per game average); the Lions (3-2, 2-0) put up 115 (38.3). Each team has a three-game winning streak going.

"There's a potential for a lot of points," Greensburg Salem coach Casey Cavanaugh said.

There will be plenty of offensive skill-position talent on hand at Greensburg Salem's Offutt Field. For Greensburg Salem, that entails balance that includes strong passing and running games.

Veteran quarterback Steve Fagert, a senior, has passed for an average of 127.8 yards per game (639 yards in five contests) and has completed 58 percent of his passes (39 for 67) with a sterling 9 to 2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

The ball has been spread around to a bevy of receivers, notably senior Jerry Cooley (10 catches, 235 yards, 4 touchdowns) and junior Drew Manley (9 receptions, 154 yards, 4 touchdowns).

But the Lions' successes on the ground have been a pleasant surprise.

Junior Matt Adams has averaged 7.5 yards per carry and 146.2 per game (731 yards on 98 carries) and scored eight touchdowns. Fagert has 260 yards rushing and five scores.

"We've been pleased with way we've been able to run the football," Cavanaugh said. "Sometimes we've struggled with that; the last couple years we haven't been able to run it effectively. But we're getting that now, and that's the recipe for a good offense."

Yough's running game has been getting stronger all season. The Cougars debuted the flexbone offense this year after Wehner and members of his staff spent four days with the Navy coaches and had a powwow with McKeesport coach and local flexbone advocate George Smith.

The offense is one reason that the Cougars have so been able to run the ball so well. Yough has two players who have rushed an average of more than 100 yards per contest in seniors Ben Hoffer (49 carries, 545 yards, 10 touchdowns) and Bob Bridge (51 carries, 530 yards, 5 touchdowns).

"We have some team speed, and my two kids who have had big games the last three or four weeks are the two kids who fumbled the first two games ... it's very unlike them to fumble the ball," Wehner said. "Since we've been holding onto it, we've had big games.

"We knew we had speed, it was just a matter of the offensive line doing what we're asking it to do. The O-line has been a pleasant surprise. We're not real big up front, but those guys are playing the heck out of games right now."

The Yough starting line is formed by senior tackles Nathan Roll and Mike Bingey; guards Matt Sever, a junior, and senior Andrew Dearmitt; and senior center Rob Phillips. Junior Brandon Sior and senior John Van Dyke also rotate in, a testament to the unit's depth.

"They're very, very dangerous on offense," Cavanaugh said. "They have multiple formations and will do a lot of different things. They have a number of good backs; the Hoffer kid is an outstanding back, and the quarterback [senior Mike Bashivam] runs the offense very well. It's going to be quite a challenge for us to slow them down a little."

The Lions are coming off a good road win at Uniontown and Greensburg Salem and Yough are the lone undefeated teams in the Keystone standings. A lead with the tiebreaker in hand would be tough to overcome with only three weeks remaining in the regular season.

Having a good chance at a conference title would be quite an accomplishment for both teams for different reasons. The Cougars are competing well in Class AAA after being at the Class AA level the past few seasons.

Greensburg Salem went 6-21 the past three seasons

"It's exciting for us at this juncture of the season to be able to play in a game of this significance," Cavanaugh said. "It's fun for the kids. The kids are excited; it's homecoming, and they're pretty pumped up about the opportunity to play a good football team in a game that means something."

"Casey Cavanaugh does a good job. They're physical and will be ready to play," Wehner said. "It's homecoming over there, and everybody knows this is for the conference title."The game

• What: Yough (3-2 overall, 3-0 in conference) at Greensburg Salem (3-2, 3-0).

• When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

• Where: Offutt Field, Greensburg.

• The skinny: The two teams are tied for first place in the Class AAA Keystone Conference.